Cynopsis: DIGITAL
11/21/08
Good morning, it’s Friday, November 21, 2008, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.
RIM unveils its answer to the iPhone today for Verizon Wireless in the U.S. – the BlackBerry Storm. A touchscreen sacrifices the signature BlackBerry keyboard in order to deliver widescreen-format video. (We’re not sure how “CrackBerry” purists will feel about the loss of a real keypad, but RIM had to do something to make room for the 3.25″ screen.) The Storm comes standard with a 3.2 megapixel camera, built-in GPS and a video recording application – immediately raising its profile as a legitimate multimedia device. On the negative side it lacks Wi-Fi capability, meaning you’re stuck with Verizon’s 3G network. What will ultimately determine its success is the quality of the applications made for the phone. BlackBerry plans to launch an App store of its own in March of 2009 and is currently courting developers to encourage them to create interesting applications for the phone. For instance SlingPlayer is expected to launch soon for the device.
Mobile video needs tentpole events like this to help put the medium on the map. The server-busting Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is coming to mobile devices. CBS Mobile has teamed with Qualcomm’s MediaFLO mobile TV service to create a 24/7 channel for the event, to be broadcast live on CBS on Dec. 3rd this year. CBS.com’s Victoria Secret’s minisite will provide social viewing rooms and additional programming including tons of snackable video clips of past shows.
The newly-relaunched Joost also has a treasure trove of Victoria Secret clips, along with the Howcast’s Thanksgiving Survival Guide.
Talk about pent-up demand. Activision Blizzard sold a record 2.8 million copies of the latest World of Warcraft expansion: Wrath of the Lich King within the first 24 hours of its release. The Massively Multiplayer Online Game has about 11 million online subscribers.
MySpace has a couple of exclusives this week. Guns N’ Roses is premiering its new album Chinese Democracy on the MySpace Music platform 3 days before the CD and digital album become available elsewhere. Oxygen is also hosting a special meet and greet session on MySpace’s The Channel to introduce this season’s Bad Girls cast members.
Fancast.com will be hosting a live forum with Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam and series creator Kurt Sutter on Monday, Nov. 24, two days prior to the FX show’s season finale. The hour-long live chat will start at 2 pm ET and will be available to embed live on third party sites. Email Fancast’s Derek Collins at [email protected] to arrange a live embed.
Multiplatform men programmer RipeTV has teamed with Ultimate Fighting Champion creator Art Davie to come up with an entirely new sport created exclusively for digital: XARM fighting. XARM combines arm wrestling with boxing and various martial arts. The winner of the XARM tournament will earn the title of “XARM Heavyweight Champion” and take home a $10,000 prize.
CBS Interactive is no longer producing episodes of MobLogic.tv reports AllThingsD, the news and politics show hosted by Lindsay Campbell (formerly of WallStrip fame.) CBS plans to put Lindsay to work on another project, however, as she is still under contract.
Parenting.com, the online portal for Parenting and Babytalk magazines, just launched a new video shopping tool for moms. Developed by Brainbox Digital, the tool allows users to purchase products directly from Amazon.com while viewing videos of Parenting editors discussing product recommendations from the magazine.
The puppychannel.com is cashing in on Obama fever with a new First Dog nomination program. Register for the site to vote for which dog you’d like to see the President Elect adopt. This First Dog story really has legs – Obama has promised his daughters a “big dog” when they move in to the White House but poor Malia’s allergy means only a hypoallergenic breed will do.
NBC News is rolling out a fun ad supported news trivia app on Facebook testing users knowledge of current events. What’s you iCue? lobs questions at users which correspond to NBC News video archives on a variety of topics. Answer as many as you can within 30 seconds or play head to head against a friend or rival group member. Univ. of Phoenix and Lexus have signed on as sponsors.
Broadcast Interactive Media has stepped in to provide platform support for NBC Local Integrated Media‘s 9 local station website relaunches beginning with nbcchicago.com, the company announced yesterday. NBC had contracted with Internet Broadcasting for more comprehensive web management services until earlier this year. BIM partners with Clickability for its Content Management System solution.
Despite current economic woes internet advertising revenues grew by 11% year-over-year during Q3 to reach $5.9 billion in the U.S., according to the IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers. While double-digital annual growth continues, quarter-to-quarter figures do show a leveling off; revenues rose by only 2% compared to Q2 2008.
Platform-A led ComScore‘s October Ad Focus rankings reaching 91% of the 190.6 million Americans online. Yahoo! Network followed reaching 86% and Google Ad Network captured the third position reaching 83% of Americans online. ValueClick Networks moved up one position to #4 reaching 82% of online users and Traffic Marketplace rose one position to #8 reaching 74%.
Localized search network Local.com is partnering with video ad firm Jivox to begin integrating geo-targeted local video ads throughout its site in an attempt to increase local ad revenues. The system will allow small local business to serve trackable video ads to a limited geographic region.
Online e-commerce spending fell to its lowest level in 7 years in Oct. according to a new ComScore report. Spending grew by just 1% over Oct. of 2007, the sixth straight month e-commerce decline.
The financial crisis and the election led to huge traffic surges on financial and political sites in Oct. according to the latest ComScore figures. The Street.com sites proved to be the top gaining property for the month in terms of unique visitors. The politics category grew a leading 40% overall to 28 million visitors during the month. NBCU/News Corp. online video joint venture Hulu continued its impressive climb, ranking as the #4 fastest-gaining web property.
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by % Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)
Total Unique Visitors (000) October 2008 vs. September 2008
Sep-08 Oct-08 % Change Rank by Uniques
Total Internet: Total Aud. 189,468 190,616 1 N/A
TheStreet.com Sites 4,135 10,550 155 101
Spencer Gifts, LLC. 2,077 5,058 144 231
Hulu.com 2,850 5,342 87 214
Healthgrades 2,894 5,034 74 234
Everyday Health 14,930 25,781 73 31
BarackObama.com 5,350 8,515 59 131
Cablevision 6,049 9,571 58 112
NBC Universal 16,034 24,896 55 33
Kayak.com Network 5,141 7,860 53 144
JPMorgan Chase Property 15,506 23,142 49 41
Source: comScore Media Metrix
ABC ranked as the top broadcast network site last week according to Hitwise, although NBC’s Heroes and Deal or No Deal minisites ranked as the top two individual sites. Comedy Central’s South Park was the #1 ranked TV show website among adult cable networks for the second straight week. Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking site jumped from #240 to #2 in a single week. The Daily Show, O’Reilly Factor and Countdown remained in the top 10 in the aftermath of the election.
Top Visited US Top Visited US Broadcast Network TV Sites (Week ending Nov. 15, 2008)
Rank Network Website Market Share of Visits
1 ABC www.abc.com 29.60%
2 NBC www.nbc.com 24.10%
3 CBS www.cbs.com 22.25%
4 FOX* www.fox.com 14.92%
5 The CW www.cwtv.com 8.36%
6 MNTV www.mynetworktv.com .78%
Source: Custom report from Hitwise, *includes traffic aggregated from stand alone websites americanidol.com, amw.com, familyguy.com, thelot.com and thesimpsons.com.
Top Visited US Broadcast Network TV Show Sites (Week ending Nov. 15, 2008)
Rank Network Website Market Share of Visits
1 NBC Heroes 6.41%
2 NBC Deal or No Deal 5.86%
3 ABC Dancing With The Stars 5.70%
4 FOX America’s Most Wanted 4.67%
5 NBC The Office 4.35%
6 CBS Survivor 3.71%
7 NBC The Biggest Loser 4.29%
8 FOX American Idol 3.21%
9 ABC Grey’s Anatomy 2.70%
10 CBS Ghost Whisperer 2.33%
Source: Custom report from Hitwise
Top Visited US Cable Network TV Show Sites -Excluding Children’s Programming (Week ending Nov.15, 2008)
Rank Network Website Market Share of Visits
1 Comedy Central South Park 6.74%
2 Food Network Paula’s Home Cooking 4.95%
3 Comedy Central The Daily Show 2.92%
4 Discovery Channel Dirty Jobs 2.91%
5 MTV The Hills 2.67%
6 BET 106 & Park 2.64%
7 Fox News O’Reilly Factor 2.63%
8 Bravo Real Housewives of Atlanta 2.51%
9 Food Network 30 Minute Meals 1.99%
10 MSNBC Countdown with Keith O. 1.98%
Source: Custom report from Hitwise
Much gossiped about Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio Ben Silverman joined the GE/NBC Universal Peacock Equity Fund‘s Board of Directors.
CafeMom.com made two executives moves in sales and marketing. Former SVP of Sales Strategy and Operations Laura Fortner was upped to SVP/Marketing and Insights. She is charged with building CafeMom’s profile with consumers, businesses and the media as well as overseeing strategy and research. MySpace executive Aimee Higgins was also hired as SVP/Sales Strategy and Creative Services overseeing sales strategy and custom solutions for advertisers.
The crowded online news category just got a little more crowded. PV Media Group, parent of the contextual AdOn Network officially launched BreakingNews.com, a news aggregation site determined to use digital distribution methods and social networking functionality to carve out a niche. It already has some built in advantages. The venture began when the company was able to get its hands on the BreakingNews URL according to President and CEO Jim McDonald, who says the term racks up over 2 trillion searches per month. PV, led by former Universal Television Distribution co-president Steve Rosenberg, will utilize its search optimization company Prime Visibility to put paid search to work for the site. And the AdOn division will help sell unsold inventory for BreakingNews right off the bat. The plan is to utilize the latest web tools to help build a loyal audience, enabling users to customize their news experience. Widgets will deliver news directly to blogs and personal profiles. A new social “Watercooler ” feature launches today, aggregating the top 5-7 stories as determined by online buzz. The challenge here is going to be living up to its name – yesterday afternoon West Coast time the latest “breaking” stories were already 4 hours old. The site hopes to recruit a network of stringers, bloggers and citizen journalists to help keep a steady stream of news stories coming in at non-union prices.
Later — Wayne
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
11.21.08
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JOB OPENING: DIR COMMUNICATIONS/TLC/MD: Resp for prog publicity, mng nat’l/local mkt branding, work w/outside producers/agents/talent for ntwrk, 7+ yrs. Hands on exp. knowl of TV industry a must. Apply: www.discovery.com Req#8642 (11/27)
JOB OPENING: PRODUCER /N. California: Launch edgy reality home makeover series. 4+ years as producer/writer, Excellent project mgmt skills a must. Resume to: [email protected] (11/27)
JOB OPENING: DIR AFF SALES /RLTV/MD: Manage distribution sales & affiliate relations efforts, manage staff, 5-10 years prior sales exp within cable & telecom industry pref. with MSO contacts, resume: [email protected] (11/26)
JOB OPENING: US DIRECTORS: Major ntwrk background wanted for one of the world’s leading non-fiction prod companies/Toronto. Proven track record in adventure, reality formats. Resume to: [email protected] (11/26)
JOB OPENING: MGR/SR MGR RESEARCH/MTV/NYC: 3+ yrs media/mkt res; str primary res/qual/quant sk. Str knwlg TV, media, web, pop cult/trends. Proven PC skills (MS Office). Some travel. EOE/M/F/D/AAP www.mtvncareers.com (11/26)
JOB OPENING: PROD, BRANDED ENT/Sundance/NY: Support branded ent mktg process. Pt person for all projs. 4+ yrs prod exp pref. Exc proj mgmt & proven writing skills a must. vod/web/affil sales knwlg a + www.cablevision.jobs #7584BR(11/25)
JOB OPENING: PROJECT MGR/Hearst Digital Media/NYC:Work w/ strategic web dvlpmnt /tech projects working to establish/expand services, mng advertising campaigns, and track project performance. Resumes to: [email protected] (11/25)
JOB OPENING: MEDIA INDUSTRY BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST: Media Industry Business Systems Analysts. Multiple-NYC: Exp. w/ad sales, traffic, programming, production, rights mgmt. and requirements gathering. Use case development a plus. Apply to: [email protected] (11/25)
JOB OPENING: PROG DEV DIRECTOR/NYC:Needed for leading non fiction cable network. 3 month project developing content for network. Must have 3-5 yrs exp in network content dvlpmnt. Please apply to [email protected] (11/25)
JOB OPENING: SALES COORDINATOR/Cartoon Network/[adult swim]/Chicago: Support Midwest sales team. 2-4 yrs experience necessary. Analytical thinker. Send resumes: [email protected] EOE (11/22)
JOB OPENING: V.P NEW BUSINESS/AFFILIATE SALES/MTV Networks, NY: Distribution of New Movie Channel / 5-7 yrs. Cable Sales / New Bus Dev Experience / www.mtvncareers.com (11/22)
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SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Discovery/NYC Hiring Interns across mult depts: Ad Sales, Mkt, Rsrch, Intl, Digital, Prog Dev, HR, Talent + more! Only 10 hrs/wk min. School credits. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ ID: 8501 (12/2)
SPRING/INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Doc prod co. seeks orgnzd/energetic Jrs/Srs as interns hungry & driven to gain exp in fast-paced envir. Specify winter or spring in app. Resp: office, shoot, & post-prod & dvlpmnt assistance. Apply: [email protected] (11/27)
SPRING/INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Big Tent Ent/NY seeks ART DESIGN & MKTING Intern exp with digital photo editing, mkt research, MS Office, Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator; Email [email protected] (11/27)
SPRING/INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Big Tent Ent, NY seeks MARKETING INTERN: strong MS Office skills, knwldg of mktg and licensing, and good written and oral skills. Email: [email protected] (11/27)
WINTER/SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: NYC, Superb Entertainment/NBC Universal: administrative support and script coverage for film/television development company. Apply to [email protected] (11/26)
SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Burbank Television Enterprises seeks intern-Digital Media Department. Duties: rsrch & edit library episodes, validate titles to ITD & other projects as assigned. Cover letter/resume to [email protected] (11/26)
SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Burbank Television Enterprises seeks (2) interns-Publicity/Talent Relations Dept. Duties: read publications/online media and attend & asst at functions. Cover letter/resume to [email protected] (11/26)
WINTER/SPRING/ INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: RESEARCH INTERN/(NYC): Analyze & produce reports work w/adsales, programming, marketing. Res: [email protected] (11/22)
WINTER/SPRING/ INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Westchester/NY. Research/write for national mag. Min 2 days/wk. Skills: Writing, resrch, computer, phone. Intrst in cool stuff/video games. Resume & writing samples: [email protected] (11/22)
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SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIRECTOR 20+ yrs media, Nielsen, Hisp, & sales experience. Let me be your “Remote RD” for competitive, one-sheets, breakouts, Nielsen probs, etc. Avail – contract basis. Email: [email protected] (12/2)
SITUATION WANTED: NY CREATIVE MARKETER, PROMOTIONS & EVENT PLANNER with big brand media experience-WB, Bloomberg LP & Scripps Networks. Enthusiastic and dedicated looking for full, part, temp or freelance. Email [email protected] (12/2)
SITUATION WANTED: Exp’d ATL based MKTER looking for contract/FT wk. Let me help max. affiliate commitments. Extensive exp. w/ national/local/tradeshow promos & event planning. Will travel! [email protected] (12/2)
SITUATION WANTED: Skilled TELEVISION EDITOR w/ extensive exp. editing both long and short form for NBC, HBO, A&E, CBS, Discovery, MTV, PBS and Lifetime to name a few. Reel and resume avail. on request. Contact: [email protected] (12/2)
SITUATION WANTED: Adept at adaptations – established novelist and screenwriter will adapt your novel to the screen. [email protected] (11/27)
SITUATION WANTED: ASSOCIATE PRODUCER or ASSOCIATE STORY PRODUCER (L.A.), 9+ yrs in all aspects of production, exp. in reality, inc. game, & scripted. Valid passport – willing to travel. [email protected] (11/27)
SITUATION WANTED: Film/TV/Ent PR/NYC: Seeking F/T or Freelance opps. Write press releases/pitch to targeted print/online & brdcst media, track news clips, editorial calendar opps, build press lists w/Cision [email protected] (11/27)
SITUATION WANTED: Award-winning WRITER/PRODUCER , animation & new media, available for freelance writing work. Experienced with short-form digital content. Reel & CV: www.elliotblake.com or contact [email protected] (11/27)
SITUATION WANTED: Creative internat’l FREELANCE BUSINESS WRITER/JOURNALIST/PR PRO Ind expertise incl: music/ ent; technology & telecom;travel/hospitality; home luxury mkt, etc. Website: www.marlacimini.com or email: [email protected] (11/27)
SITUATION WANTED: NY-based WRITER & EDITOR w/exp. in marketing, branding, websites, press releases, collateral & more. References and samples available upon request. Email: [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: SPORTS EXECUTIVE: Global Sr. level media professional w/ JD degree. Sell, acquire, strategize, negotiate deals, event producer, versatile & self-directed. E-mail: [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: Award winning network FIELD PRODUCER available for long and short form news, lifestyle, documentary, magazine and reality. Will travel nationally and internationally. Contact [email protected] attn: Melissa (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: WRITER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Guts + passion + excellence! tons o’ experience connecting w/all kinds of audiences all media. FREE COPY @ https://freebeaaron.wordpress.com contact: [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: TV EXEC w station mgmt, programming, syndie sales exp. will be an asset to your co. Expert at team-building. In NY area now but only until wolf comes to door. Expensive to feed him! [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: Seasoned COPY EDITOR & WRITER w/extensive exp (over 10 yrs at WB) in mktg, PR and promotional ads and materials. Can provide many writing samples. Seeks freelance or FT. Please contact at [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: Creative, smart and enthusiastic PRODUCER with experience producing for VH1, MTV, A&E, and NBC looking for work as a field or show producer. Please email [email protected] for resume/reel.(LA) (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: Did 2008 Internet Profits exceed expectations? Need stronger management to grow revenue w/greater efficiency? Former TV Advertising VP, original Double Click’er & Internet CEO understands your pain. [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: RADIO BROADCAST/AUDIO PRODUCER and 20-yr. L.A. based on-air-pro seeks F/T, P/T or freelance work in digital prod./broadcast opers. Top-notch skills/references! Visit jimgovernale.com or email [email protected] (11/26)
SITUATION WANTED: AD NETWORK ARCHITECT: one stop shop! Contract creation, publisher identification, recruitment and management. Increase revenue immediately. Contact: [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER/LA: Five prime time Emmy Awards. National Geographic on NBC and PBS. Discovery, History Channel and MSNBC. Contact email: [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: RESULTS DRIVEN MEDIA PROFESSIONAL WITH EXTENSIVE LOCAL CLIENT& AGENCY EXPERIENCE: QUALITATIVE& QUANTITATIVE MEDIA SALES MARKETING RESEARCH, CLIENT SERVICE, MANAGEMENT, AND NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: PROGRAM SCHEDULING AND ACQUISITIONS EXECUTIVE seeks return to work! Experienced in Cable, Broadcast, and Distribution. Open and Flexible. Startups a specialty. [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: DIRECTOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR with INTERNATIONAL EXP. Seeking emplymt, 20+ Yrs exp in commercials, motion pictures, music videos, etc. Links to work, reels, and resume aval. on request Email: [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: DIGITAL MEDIA GM specializing in P&L and team mgmt seeks short-to-mid-term assignment analyzing/implementing budget/staff/operational changes. 13 yrs online mgmt,Ivy MBA. [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: ELITE CASTING DIRECTOR: Renown for Specific Type Casting, & Creating Casting Miracles. Nationwide & Regional. Head of Casting; Major Networks, Cable & New Age Media, Cutting Edge Style. [email protected] (11/25)
SITUATION WANTED: PROGRAMMING SALES, MARKETING, PROMOTIONS (by project or FT). Substantial exp. In cable TV marketing and multi-platform programming distribution.Bilingual Eng./Span.). [email protected] (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: ORIGINATIVE KIDS TV PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/EDITOR w/ 18+ yrs hands-on exp. Seeks agent & TV/new media projects. Credits: PBS Kids (Buster, Fetch!, Zoom), History, CBS, BBC. Screen reels & CV: http://www.alangrazioso.com (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR (NY) Ultra creative, vast experience, all genres, all networks, reality, major cable, award winning and fun! [email protected] (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE EVENT MGR. & PRODR: Tradeshows/promotions/special events 18+ yrs hands-on exp. seeks Mrktg, PR, Adv, Affil. team to join/development to execution Creds: WB, AMC & WE Contact: [email protected] (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: EMMY nominated Producer: Seeking DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION. Produced top-rated reality productions for ABC, HGTV, Discovery, FOX. Mngd personnel, collaborated w/ directors/producers on creative.email: [email protected] (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: VETERAN WRITER/EDITOR (WEB/PRINT/BCAST) AND MUSIC BIZ 2.0 GURU offers you his expertise behind or on the scene. Rez @ www.bordowitz.com/Bordowitz_Bcast_res.htm , see me @ www.bordowitz.com/links.php (11/22)
SITUATION WANTED: HISPANIC MKT CONSULTANT AND CREATIVE WRITER/TRANSLATOR w/18 yrs exp. I’ll translate your copy from English – Spanish in 24 hrs or it’s free. Contact: [email protected] or visit: http://www.sarosolis.com/voice.php (11/22)
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